


Song Trio II

by Zorro_sci



Series: I had to say "I love you" in a song [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst/Fluff, Dreams, M/M, Richard Marx song, Song fic, Tony Stark Feels, Yes this time all of the songs are really from the 80's, cheesy 80's pop, john Waite song, phil collins song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-07 23:19:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1917849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorro_sci/pseuds/Zorro_sci
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>General Ross makes a speech outside of the pentagon about the importance of returning Hulk to Army custody.  The results are told through music.</p><p>aka I like 80's music, and sometimes it makes me have science boyfriend feels.  This is the result.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Against All Odds

**Author's Note:**

> So I felt like a song fic, and being sucker for '80s pop this came out of Phil Collin's _Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)_. I do not own the song or the characters. This is merely for my own enjoyment, and the enjoyment of anyone else who happens to like it.

_How can I just let you walk away? Just let you leave without a trace?  
When I stand here taking every breath with you?_

Tony looked at Bruce in disbelief. He was packing. The sad little suitcase he had brought to Stark Tower nearly a year ago was sitting on his bed being stuffed with the few possessions he had brought with him when he had moved in. Bruce was moving quickly but silently, while Tony was frozen unable to believe what he was seeing. Bruce couldn't leave. He just couldn't.

He tried to tell Bruce that he should stay. That he _needed_ to stay. He tried to tell Bruce to put away the suitcase and to come back to bed. He tried, but words failed him. It was as if the air had been stolen from his lungs, leaving him helpless to say anything while the person he loved most packed up to leave to the remote corners of the earth. To some place he could never be found, even by Tony.

It was all too much. The thought of Bruce leaving, of being without him, it made him feel dizzy. It made his chest ache and he had to remind himself to breath. No, this was too much.

_You're the only one who really knew me at all_

Surely Bruce wouldn't leave him. He knew how much Tony loved him; how much he needed him. He was the only one who really understood him. From the moment they had met he had _truly_ seen Tony. Seen past his masks and the bravado and seen him for who he really was. The good and the bad. The brilliant and the insecure. No one else had broken through his shell so quickly. No one else had seen his heart the way Bruce had.

_How can you just walk away from me,  
when all I can do is watch you leave_

Bruce finished throwing the last of his meager possessions into his bag. He hastily zipped it and headed out of the bedroom door. Tony, for his part, stood with mouth agape watching the retreating figure of the scientist. 

He repeated _**this is a dream, this is a dream! This HAS to be a dream!**_ in his mind like a mantra. Bruce could not be walking away from him. Away from their relationship of six months. And it certainly could not happen while Tony stood mute and unmoving.

_Cos we've shared the laughter and the pain and even shared the tears_

_**'No! No! Wrong! Wrong!'**_ screamed his brain. This couldn't be the end. This couldn't mean the end of days spent in the lab working, making ground-breaking discoveries, joking, snarking and laughing. This couldn't be the end of evenings on the couch watching bad movies while they mocked them through sneering giggles. How could this be the end after all the hurts they had revealed to each other? Childhood wounds, regrets, deepest fears, and demons they'd rather forget. They'd confided it all to each other; laid themselves bare. They'd let each other see the things they hide, the things that haunt their sleep. 

After all of their years of putting on fronts and running from their problems, they had let another person see them at their worst and least lovable. They even had allowed themselves to cry, which was something neither of them did very often. How could that mean nothing? How could that be erased in an instant and cast aside?

_You're the only one who really knew me at all_

Bruce KNEW him! He _**KNEW**_ him! He had to know Tony would protect him. That some little general was nothing. He could handle Ross; no problem. So what if Ross went on television and called Bruce a criminal and a menace to society. Tony would fix it. He _**would**_. Bruce had to know that. He had to know he didn't need to leave, but his step didn't slow as he made his way to the elevator.

_So take a look at me now, oh there's just an empty space_

Even as Tony tried to convince himself this wasn't happening he felt a growing emptiness in his chest as he watched Bruce press the button for the elevator. A Bruce-shaped hole was forming in his heart as he was forcibly ripped away. 

_And there's nothing left here to remind me,  
just the memory of your face_

As the elevator door opened he felt something in him break. It was as if he could see their whole relationship playing in front of him and suddenly hitting a brick wall. It was over. Those memories were just that. He stared hard at Bruce as he stepped onto the elevator. He memorized every curve and line, every little detail of his face, because that would be all he would have left as soon as those doors shut.

_Ooh take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space_

The burning ache in his chest was getting worse, and the hole growing. Every step Bruce took toward the door was one more tear; one more loosed stitch in the fabric that had connected them. Soon all that would be left was ragged edges around an open wound.

_And you coming back to me is against all odds and that's what I've got to face_

Tony whispered to himself that he would come back. That Ross would give up, get tired of his obsession, and Bruce would come back to him. He told himself that Bruce would realize running was unnecessary and come back, but a small, sober voice in the back of his head told him that was untrue. It whispered that there would always be people pursuing Bruce, and the likelihood of him ever feeling safe enough to return was slim to none.

_I wish I could just make you turn around,  
turn around and see me cry_

Bruce turned his back as he got on the elevator and pressed the button, seemingly unable to look at Tony as he waited for the doors to close. 

Tony wished Bruce would turn around, if only for a moment, and look at him. He knew if Bruce would only look at him he would see the anguish on his face. He knew he would see the tears that were now flowing freely despite his best effort to keep them back. He knew Bruce wouldn't be able to leave him like that, if he would only **turn around**.

_There's so much I need to say to you,  
so many reasons why_

If Bruce would only turn around he could tell him why he should stay. Tell him that he deserved a home, a place that he called his own. If Bruce would only turn around he could tell him that he needed to stop running; that he needed to stop letting people like Ross control his life and take away his happiness. If only he would just turn and look at Tony, he could tell him all of a million reasons why he should stay, the biggest of which was just how much he loved him.

_You're the only one who really knew me at all_

If Bruce would only turn around and listen to Tony, he would stay. Because he knew Tony, and he knew he didn't do messy displays of emotion and confessions. At least not unless he was desperate. Not unless he was afraid his world was crashing down around his feet. He would know just how lost and hurt Tony was. He would know how sincere he was in his fervor to keep Bruce safe, and he would have no choice but to stay.

_So take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space  
And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face  
Now take a look at me now, cos there's just an empty space_

Bruce wasn't turning. He was stubbornly keeping his back to Tony. The doors were closing and with them any hope Tony had left. He was truly leaving. He was truly returning to life on the run and leaving Tony with nothing but memories and a vacancy in his heart.

_But to wait for you, is all I can do and that's what I've got to face  
Take a good look at me now, cos I'll still be standing here  
And you coming back to me is against all odds   
It's the chance I've gotta take_

The soft click of the elevator doors shutting sounded like a loud thundering thud of finality to Tony's ears. He was gone. Robert Bruce Banner, gamma expert, genius physicist, sometimes green, rage monster, best lab partner ever, and love of his life, was gone. He knew he should mourn and then move on, like he had with Pepper or any other person who he had been with before, but he knew he wouldn't. At the moment he couldn't even move from the spot where he was standing.

No, Bruce was different. He was his best friend, a kindred spirit, and the someone who had loved all of him. He would wait for him. However long it took, he would wait for him. Even if that meant waiting forever.

_Take a look at me now . . . ._


	2. Missing You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, more cheesy '80s pop. This time John Waite's "Missing You" to follow up where the last one left off. Again, I don't own the song or the characters.

_Everytime I think of you, I always catch my breath_

Bruce had left months ago, but he still thought of him . . .all the time. In the lab, in the kitchen, on the couch and in bed. Bruce had left his mark everywhere. All Tony had to do was look at something in the Tower, and his breath caught in his chest as he remembered what he and Bruce had done in that exact spot what seemed like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at once.

_And I'm still standing here, and you're miles away_

He often found himself wandering back to the spot a couple feet outside of his bedroom door where he had stood helplessly and watched Bruce leave. He would just stand there and stare at the elevator, praying that it would open, but knowing that Bruce was half-way across the globe. He was thousands of miles away, beyond Tony's reach.

_And I'm wonderin' why you left_

He's stared at the places where Bruce had been, where he had lived and worked and played, and he would wonder why this happened. Why had Bruce left? 

He knew Bruce would say it was because Ross was after him, if anyone were to ask him, but Tony would have protected him. Did he not trust him? Why did he go?

_And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight_

Tony felt like all the life had drained out of him since Bruce had left. He was nothing but a cold, empty shell. His heart, his whole life, was frozen. Bruce had been the sun, and without him he was left to the winter of his darkest, coldest thoughts.

He wanted the sun to come back. He needed the warmth. He wanted to just hear Bruce's voice, even for a moment, so badly that he argued with himself over whether or not he should call. 

He had someone slip a Starkphone into Bruce's bag at the airport, but thus far he hadn't called it. He knew Bruce wouldn't want him to, but he felt so lost. Any resolve he had been holding onto was crumbling, and he was fighting an internal battle as he held his phone in his hand.

_I hear your name in certain circles, and it always makes me smile_

Tony tried to go on with his life. He went to the science conference he was scheduled to attend, and gave his lecture on green energy. He even took the time to attend a few lectures.

One lecture that he attended about nuclear physics made extensive use of Bruce's work to form the basis of their study. He couldn't help but smile each time they mentioned "Dr. Banner's studies."

He even ran into a biologist who had been making use of the portable water purification system Bruce had developed while he was staying with Tony. He couldn't help but smile as the other scientist went on and on about how ground-breaking the technology was, "and from a nuclear physicist nonetheless." Yes, Bruce truly was amazing, and he beamed with pride as he heard the other man's awe over his boyfriend's (ex-boyfriend's?) accomplishments.

_I spend my time thinkin' about you, and it's almost driving me wild_

Tony loved hearing other scientists praise Bruce's work, but it just made him think about the other man more. It made him dwell on all the things he missed about Bruce, and it made him feel the loss all that much more. It was almost too much. He was almost sure he would break in half, or go crazy, from the emptiness it made him feel.

_And there's a heart that's breaking down this long distance line tonight_

He could take it no more. He needed to hear Bruce's voice, so he left the convention center to return to his hotel room, and he dialed Bruce's number.

He thought the contact would help, if only just a little, but his heart just broke all over again when he heard Bruce's surprised and weary, "hello?" on the other side of the line.

_I ain't missing you at all since you've been gone away  
I ain't missing you, no matter what I might say_

Tony started to chit-chat about the science conference, and the amazing things he had heard. He asked Bruce how things were. He talked about JARVIS, and business, but he pointedly stayed away from what he wanted to say most. He wouldn't say that he missed Bruce; he knew that it would only make Bruce feel guilty and make himself look desperate. He only hoped he could hold the words in.

_There's a message in the wire, and I'm sending you this signal tonight_

He watched his tongue, and kept this as casual as he could, but he knew his message was still being sent. 

_**Come home Bruce. I miss you, and I need you**_.

He knew the mere fact he called was sending that message clear enough; no matter how careful he was not to say it.

_You don't know how desperate I've become  
And it looks like I'm losing this fight_

Each word from Bruce was a salve on the open wound in his heart that had opened up when he had left, but at at the same time each sound burned and stung as it reminded him just how far away Bruce was. 

He knew Bruce thought all of this was for the best, and he should respect the other man's wishes and not make this harder, but the urge to tell him how much he loved him and missed him was growing. He was a heartbeat away from confessing and begging him to come back. He could feel it. He could taste the forbidden, bittersweet words on his tongue.

_In your world I have no meaning, though I'm trying hard to understand_

He bit his tongue to keep the traitorous words at bay, and listened more intently to Bruce talk about what he was doing. He had a life. He had a routine, and a job, and purpose somewhere else, and Tony had no part in it.

He tried to tell himself that he had no part in the new life Bruce had formed for himself, but it just didn't make sense. How could they go back to leading individual, separate lives as if they had never met when his life had changed so drastically the moment he had laid eyes on Bruce?

_And it's my heart that's breaking down this long distance line tonight_

There was no reason that was good enough to explain this separation. No logic that made sense in the light of loss. It was just wrong, and tears filled his eyes as he struggled once again not so say the words he so longed to speak.

_I ain't missing you at all since you've been gone away  
I ain't missing you, no matter what my friends say_

He bit his tongue harder, and almost caused the tears to spill.

He didn't miss Bruce. He **did not**.

Rhodey, Steve, Pepper, and Natasha were all wrong when they gave him looks of pity and asked him if he missed Banner. He didn't. He wasn't even sure why he called . . . He just wanted to hear his voice and know he was safe. . . that was all.

His own heart which was pleading with him to just say the word he was holding back was wrong too. He **DID NOT** miss Bruce!

_And there's a message that I'm sending out, like a telegraph to your soul  
And if I can't bridge this distance, stop this heartbreak overload_

Tony continued to shout his mantra of lies in his head as he held back the words in his throat and the tears in his eyes. He couldn't let Bruce know. Still, he knew there was no way he didn't already know.

The call, his tone, everything screamed across the distance that he wanted Bruce back by his side. That he loved him. That he missed him. That he wasn't whole without him. He knew Bruce could hear him, even if he carefully kept back the words, and he hoped against hope that he would respond to his unspoken pleas.

_I ain't missing you, I ain't missing you, I can lie to myself  
And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight_

Tony finished out the call and managed to keep himself from declaring how much he missed Bruce, but he knew that it was no victory. Bruce knew, and all he had done was lie to himself, or at least he had tried to. 

Now the line was dead and he fought with himself over whether he should have actually just said the words. If he had, maybe he wouldn't feel their weight on his chest; threatening to suffocate him with their honest, unspoken simplicity. He couldn't hide from the truth forever . . .could he?

With a new internal argument brewing he flopped on the bed and let the tears fall.


	3. Now and Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say last time that song fics come in three. Well, that's as true now as ever, so here is the third and final, (for this set at least), cheesy '80s pop song inspired fic. Seems only right that since Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" started me on the song fic path that I end my second song fic trio with Richard Marx's "Now and Forever." As always I do not own the song, its lyrics, or the characters.

_Whenever I'm weary  
From the battles that raged in my head  
You made sense of madness  
When my sanity hangs by a thread_

Tony awoke with tears sitting in his eyes and a feeling of emptiness in his chest. He stretched and turned onto his left side and saw . . . Bruce Banner sitting in bed beside him. Relief washed over him as he realized that Bruce was there, and everything else had just been a horrible nightmare.

Well, maybe not everything. Bruce was staring at the turned off television with a haunted look on his face. He appeared frozen where he was, and Tony felt his heart clench as he remembered the news report he and Bruce had watched before bed. 

General Ross had been giving a speech at the Pentagon. Though the speech itself had been directed at the military higher-ups and the press had not been privy to it, he had spoken with various reporters before entering into the building and asked "all patriotic, law-abiding citizen to keep their eyes open and help him bring an end to the reign of terror of the green menace known as the Hulk." 

After his little plug to the general populace he had doubtlessly asked for funding and weapons to go after Bruce. He would probably get it as well. 

Tony remembered hearing Bruce's breath catch as the report had come on. Then he had grown very pale and gone so still he resembled a statue. Tony had tried to reassure him, but it was as if Bruce couldn't hear him or process his words.

That was the last thing he remembered. He must have fallen asleep after that, and it appeared that while he drifted off Bruce had remained just as immobilized. He sighed as he let out both the emotion of the dream and his frustration at feeling so helpless to comfort the man next to him.

Suddenly Bruce stirred and turned to look at Tony. In a glance he seemed to take in the fading affects of the nightmare and the tears still sitting in his eyes, and his face soften.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly as he reached over to pull Tony into a hug and started to rub circles into his back with one hand.

Tony welcomed the contact, and the warm reassurance that Bruce was there with him, but he had no idea what to say. His imagined fears seemed so small in comparison to the real threat that was facing Bruce.

"Nightmare," he commented dismissively.

Bruce hugged him a little tighter and planted a kiss to his temple as he whispered, "Anything I can do? Do you want to talk about?"

Tony shook his head against Bruce's shoulder and answered, "You're already doing a great job."

He paused and swallowed, "Bruce . . . "

"Yeah."

"Are you okay? I mean that whole Ross thing . . ." Tony ventured.

Bruce sighed heavily, and pulled back from the embrace. He shut his eyes tightly and gathered himself for a moment before he spoke.

"I don't know."

"You know you can't let him get to you, right? We can take him," Tony reassured.

"Tony . . .he said that anyone who helps me should be considered a traitor and complicit in acts of terror. He means to try and charge you with treason. You shouldn't have to take that kind of risk for my sake," Bruce replied in a defeated, pleading tone.

"I'd like to see him try to accuse Tony Stark, Iron Man, hero of New York, and son of World War II hero and innovator Howard Stark, with treason! The public would never go for it!" Tony countered with challenging bravado in his voice.

"The public is fickle. You know that better than most," Bruce tried to reason.

"Then I'll outdo him in press. If anyone knows how to run a publicity campaign . . . Besides I've been told I'm very charming," Tony said with a smile.

"Oh, you are," Bruce returned the smile briefly before frowning and continuing. "But what if Ross . . . "

"We'll take it as it comes. Just know I'll protect you. He isn't going to get anywhere near you. I promise. Do you trust me, Bruce?" Tony cut him off levelly.

"Yes," Bruce answered. "I trust you."

"Good. Just don't leave, okay? I don't think I could handle it if you left. I know you would be trying to help. Trying to keep me out of danger, but . .. Just don't leave, okay?" Tony added in a rare bout of vulnerability.

Bruce saw the fear and sadness that crossed Tony's eyes and enveloped him in another tight hug.

"I'm not going anywhere, okay?" He whispered in Tony's ear as he felt the billionaire's body relax in his arms.

_I lose my way, but still you  
Seem to understand  
Now & Forever,  
I will be your man_

_**It's okay. We'll take care of this. And Tony will help,**_ Bruce told Hulk in his mind, lulling the Other Guy back to sleep.

 _ **It's okay,**_ Tony thought to himself as the tightness returned to his chest as he thought back on his dream. _**He's staying, and we'll figure something out. He'll be safe.**_

"We're in this together, Big Guy," Tony whispered as he stroked a hand up and down Bruce's back.

"Always."

_Sometimes I just hold you  
Too caught up in me to see  
I'm holding a fortune  
That Heaven has given to me_

Their embrace extended several minutes, but neither wanted to let go. The comfort they got from the other's arms was too intoxicating. The world around them might be crazy, and might not make any sense, but everything seemed right as they held each other as tight as possible.

 _ **'I'm so lucky to have him. No one else has ever stood up for me like this before,'**_ Bruce thought.

"Ross is going to try to ruin you," Bruce warned, feeling a new surge of guilt; Tony was too good to him. "He'll try to discredit you, and Stark Industries might take a huge hit."

"The company will survive. Let him do what he'll do; as long as I have you I'll be okay," Tony answered assuredly.

 _ **Hell, let him run it under the ground. Let him take every cent I have. No riches compare to Bruce. He's worth far more than anything else I have or could ever have,**_ he thought to himself.

_I'll try to show you  
Each and every way I can  
Now & Forever,  
I will be your man_

"I love you," Bruce said tenderly as he planted a kiss on Tony's cheek.

"I love you, too," Tony whispered back as he gave his boyfriend a quick squeeze.

_Now I can rest my worries  
And always be sure  
That I won't be alone, anymore  
If I'd only known you were there  
All the time,  
All this time._

Bruce let himself relax into Tony's arms and knew this time would be different. He would have someone by his side to face his enemies with him. He didn't have to worry, didn't have to run, and didn't have to be alone. It was truly a gift. One that almost seemed too good to be true.

Tony smiled as he felt Bruce relax against him. It would be okay. Bruce wasn't going to leave him. He wouldn't be abandoned by Bruce like he was by every other person he had cared about. For his part, he wouldn't let Ross anywhere near Bruce. Nothing and no one was going to hurt his Bruce or take him away from him. Not after he'd finally found the one person who he loved more than anything, and he knew loved him for who he was.

_Until the day the ocean  
Doesn't touch the sand  
Now & Forever  
I will be your man_

Bruce guided them, still intertwined, to lay down on the bed.

"Get some sleep. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Ever. Don't worry," he reassured softly as he saw Tony's eyes droop with exhaustion. The engineer had been working for nearly seventy hours straight before they had made their way up to their bedroom a few hours previous.

"You need your sleep too, Brucey. Don't worry. This will all pass over, and I'll protect you. Always," Tony mumbled back to try to ease the troubled look he saw on Bruce's face. He knew the other man had barely slept more than he had in the last three days, and must be equally tired.

Holding each other tenderly in reassurance of their mutual bond, the two of them drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this is probably the cheesiest song fic yet, but I do like cheese . . . .


End file.
